


Francine, as told to her therapist on Long Island.

by great_whatsit



Category: Slap Shot (1977)
Genre: Bisexuality, F/F, F/M, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:00:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27878754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/great_whatsit/pseuds/great_whatsit
Summary: Francine met Reggie when she was seventeen.
Relationships: Francine Dunlop/Suzanne Hanrahan, Reggie Dunlop/Francine Dunlop
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Francine, as told to her therapist on Long Island.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueorangecrush](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueorangecrush/gifts).



> _Personality is ... an act of high courage flung in the face of life, the absolute affirmation of all that constitutes the individual, the most successful adaptation to the universal condition of existence coupled with the greatest possible freedom for self-determination._

\--Carl Jung

1\. Reggie.

Francine met Reggie when she was seventeen, three weeks before her eighteenth birthday. He was twenty and already playing hockey for a living, hooked up with the semipro team over in Hershey. In order to save money, the players sometimes lived with local families who gave them a place to sleep in exchange for grocery money; Reggie was in Francine’s basement for four months.

She’d never seen a more handsome man and, quickly, decided he was the love of her life. Reggie was as charming as he was beautiful, and before long had so blinded her parents with his choirboy act that he could fuck her right in her own bedroom and they’d believe he was quizzing her on chemistry. Francine was head over heels in love and, when Reggie left in the spring, she went with him to Knoxville. She’d intended to come back — really, she had — but somehow finishing school became less and less important the more settled she got in Reggie’s life. Instead of a high school diploma, Francine got her GED then a cosmetology degree and, when they needed money, she took jobs in any salon she could find. Together, she and Reggie fell into the rhythm of life in minor league hockey and chased jobs all over the country. No matter how small the towns, as long as there were ice rinks, there were teams.

When he couldn't catch on with a team, Reggie found factory work. He’d skate in the morning at the local rink, work 10 hours at the mill, come home to her and, more often than not, sleep the sleep of the dead until the next morning. Francine adored him, and she understood his exhaustion and the lack of attention he paid her. She didn’t hold it against him, just made sure dinner was ready, and signed her checks over to him every payday. Reggie would kiss her, and ask her what he would ever do without her, and tell her he loved her so very much. Sometimes things would escalate from there, but usually Reggie would roll over and go to sleep beside her.

They got married in a courthouse in Syracuse, three hours before Reggie’s first game with the Blazers.

2\. Robby.

Reggie was the first boy who fucked Francine. Francine was a good girl, and sex was something good girls didn’t have until they were married; even then, it was for procreation and procreation alone. 

She’d sucked a boy's dick, once. Robby Oswald’s dick. He was a defensive lineman, and Francine’s friends told her that doing him would get her attention from the guys who played offense — this, they told her, was something everyone wanted. So, one day sophomore year, she went under the bleachers with him after lunch, kneeled on top of her World Civ book (Louise had given her that tip — it would keep her tights from getting runs), and she let him put his dick in her mouth. Francine choked and Robby said “yeah, that’s good,” and his hips stuttered against her face and he came in her mouth. 

The next day, people were calling her a slut and laughing behind her back.

3\. Sex.

The first time she and Reggie had sex it hurt. He was sweet and attentive, and he didn’t stop until he came. Then he rolled off her, told her he would marry her some day, and went downstairs to get ready for practice. When Francine went to clean up, there was blood on her sheets.

4\. Hockey.

Francine’s dad had played a lot of hockey when he was younger. (To hear him tell it, he almost got a look in with the Oilers. Even as a kid, Francine wasn’t sure whether or not she could believe his hockey stories.) Whatever his true history with the sport, the fact remained that hockey was deep in his heart, which meant that his kids were raised on it. Francine knew hockey before she knew how to ride a bike; her brother played in the mites long before he'd stopped wetting his bed. It was central to their lives, and it wasn’t until Francine was in high school that she realized not everyone went to every Hershey Bears game, nor did each family host players every season. But Francine’s family did. The basement was set aside for Bears players all year, in case one of them should be in need. It had its own fridge and bathroom, and Francine’s dad even had an outside door put in, so that the players could come and go as they pleased. For privacy, her dad said.

Francine’s house was highly coveted among the players, first because of that door and then, she later realized, because of the young, pretty girl who lived there.

5\. Pussy.

No matter where she and Reggie were, Francine spent a lot of time alone. When she was alone, she read. _Cosmo_ , _Redbook_ , and _Elle_. _Ladies Home Journal_ , _Vogue_ , and _Glamour_. As she read, she collected diet ideas, and recipes, and tips about how to please Reggie in bed; she tried them all with mostly limited success.

She had never been hungrier than when she was on the grapefruit diet, and Reggie didn’t even notice the seven pound she lost. She tried Metrical but it was like drinking sand, and she got lightheaded after three and a half days of nothing but the shakes.

 _Cosmo_ told her to suck on Reggie’s balls so she tried, but they were so ridiculous that she couldn’t concentrate, and Reggie got embarrassed when she laughed, so she kissed him and jerked him off before he fell asleep.

Every once in a while, she bought _Ms. Magazine,_ always looking over her shoulders to make sure none of the other wives were there to see her. Francine told herself she was just curious, that she wanted to see what foolishness Gloria Steinem and her crew of lesbians were getting up to. It seemed so subversive, to read a feminist tract.

In _Ms.,_ she read about the importance of getting to know her pussy — of learning what she liked and what brought her satisfaction. It was through reading _Ms._ that Francine realized she’d never had an orgasm. She’d always assumed that it was something only men did, and was stunned to discover that her body, too, had the ability to come. She flushed deep red even thinking about having sex to feel good, but one afternoon she found herself in the bathroom, crouched over a hand mirror with _Ms._ balanced on the edge of the sink. (The first glimpse of her vagina shocked Francine so much that she had to leave the bathroom for a shot of vodka before she felt strong enough to look again.) Using the mirror and with _Ms._ as a reference, Francine brought herself to orgasm for the first time. (The first, and the second, and the third.) When Reggie got home, she was sated and sound asleep, and she felt like her world had changed.

6\. Reggie, _part b._

It took Francine almost three weeks to talk to Reggie about what she’d learned. She had never asked for anything sexually before — hadn’t know there was anything to ask _for_ — but _Ms._ convinced her that she had the right to seek her own pleasure, and she thought she owed Reggie the chance to please her as much as she was learning to please herself.

At first, he laughed his loud, easy laugh, like something ridiculous was happening. But he loved her and he saw that she was serious and so, even though he was truly baffled by her determined claims of a right to an orgasm, he told her he’d try. It was terrible at first — she’d never told Reggie what to do in or out of bed, and trying to guide him around her pussy was so humiliating she almost gave up. But Reggie was game and his laugh was joyful and not dismissive, so she stuck with it, and so did he.

The first time Reggie made her come — with two fingers inside her and his thumb on her clit — he whooped with delight; she laughed so hard that she peed a little.

The next few months were blissful in bed: Francine came every time they fucked, and Reggie even learned to go down on her. (She’s never considered that his competitiveness would benefit her sexually, but from the moment Reggie accidentally learned during a late-night bus ride to Ottowa that making women come with their mouths was something other men knew how to do, he was unstinting in his pursuit of the necessary skills.) Before long, he could reduce Francine to a trembling mess with his tongue alone. She’d lie there, slowly coming back to earth, and Reggie would nudge her on the shoulder, interrogating her about the experience. “Francine? That was good, right? Do you like it when I suck hard on your clit like that — it’s the clit, right? That’s the right word? Or is it too much that way? Is gently better? Francine? You awake, hon?”

7\. Charleston.

By the time they got to Charleston, Reggie was worn down. He might not admit it, but Francine had been with him long enough to see how much he'd changed. The aches and pains from games now lasted days instead of hours, and on the ice he was being beaten to pucks for which he wouldn’t even have had competition in the past. It made sense that he start the transition into managing.

To Francine’s surprise, getting a hyphen added to his job title made Reggie proud. Rather than a label assigned only to washed up players, Reggie saw “player-manager” as a position of prestige — a sign of the depth of his understanding of the game. (Francine didn’t have the heart to point out that paying him one salary for two jobs was a lot cheaper for a dying team than hiring an additional guy would have been.) His pride in the job gave him pride in the city, too. Some part of Reggie felt connected to the struggling industrial town that had to fight for every day, and he thrived there in a way Francine hadn’t seen in years. The team was terrible and the fans were harsh masters, but Reggie truly loved his job, and he was devoted to the guys with a purity and openness that made Francine ache.

8\. Reggie, _part c_.

Reggie had a huge heart and was a good man — Francine had known this since she was a kid, and it was still just as true, maybe even more now than it had been when she first met him. But Reggie’s beautiful brand of cockeyed purity came hand in hand with his childishness and, while Francine adored how wide-eyed he still could be, it was also something she knew wasn’t enough for her anymore. But the thought of being without him always caused a pain in her heart that was nearly physical, so she’d long ago resigned herself to the status quo.

When, for the first time, she realized that the pain she felt was for Reggie — that the suffering and fear was from imagining _him_ without _her_ , not _her_ without _him_ — she told him he she was leaving. They both cried.

8\. Suzanne.

Everyone in the league hated Hanrahan. He was cruel and dirty and an asshole, and there were rumors that he hit Suzanne. (The rumors were true.) Francine didn’t know Hanrahan but she did know Suzanne a little, just from being the wives of players in the same league. Every once in a while, they’d get a drink together before a game, or go out for a nightcap after leaving the rink in Charleston. Gradually, the pregame drinks started to run into the game; before long, they were lucky to make it to the rink before the third period started, so caught up did they get in talking and drinking and one another.

One afternoon, Suzanne showed up at Francine’s new place. The Chiefs were on the road so she knew the Ducks couldn’t be in town, and it was like seeing a teacher away from school — all the context that Suzanne usually carried with her was gone. Suzanne said “I left him,” and walked through the open door and past Francine. She had a black eye and was carrying an old Ducks duffle.

That night, they got gloriously drunk together. They laughed so loud the neighbors pounded on the wall of the living room, which only made the laughter louder and harder. Suzanne told Francine how terrible Hanrahan was in bed, and what a pathetic piece of shit he was, both of which she'd shared with him when she left. Francine told Suzanne how amazing Reggie was at eating pussy, and Suzanne shrieked and clapped her hands. Then she spend the next 20 minutes trying to understand how Francine could leave him after training him so well — how could she leave that tongue to another woman? Francine giggled, then she told Suzanne about all the dreams she’s never even bothered to have because of Reggie, and how much she loved him. She told Suzanne how much his world suffocated her, and how she’d never slept with anyone else.

Francine passed out with her head in Suzanne's lap.

9\. Suzanne, _part b._

They were drunk enough when Suzanne kissed her that she miscalculated the distance between them and almost knocked Francine out with her forehead. They laughed and laughed and then Suzanne kissed her again and it was sloppy and warm and perfect. Francine knew it was probably the alcohol, but she couldn’t believe how relaxed she was — how unhurried everything felt. They made out for what seemed like hours, and then Suzanne sucked a hickey onto her breast and played with her nipples and Francine came against her thigh.

Francine was astonished by Suzanne’s body — the supple curve of her hips fascinated her, as did the way the shape of Suzanne’s tits was so different from that of her own. Suzanne lay back and let her explore, responding with little sighs, and murmurs of "oh yes, do that again", and long groans when Francine found a particularly sensitive spot. Suzanne stroked her head as Francine mouthed at her stomach, running her tongue over the muscles hidden there, then asked how she felt about putting those pussy-eating lessons to the test. Francine let out a shocked “SUZANNE!” and felt a flash of shame. Then she remembered the dreams she'd discarded and the constant, endless limits on her life, and she decided it was time to be brave. So she slid down Suzanne’s body and let Suzanne guide her with touches and words, just like Francine had Reggie so many times before. Suzanne gasped and held her hair tight, and Francine had never felt more powerful.

10\. Francine.

_[TBD.]_

**Author's Note:**

> The non-movie minor league teams and the cities in which they play are all from the North American Hockey League or its previous incarnations, though teams came and went constantly in those leagues, so I've ended up fudging some years. The idea of players staying with families is based on the Cape Cod baseball summer league model -- I don't know for sure whether or not there are hockey leagues that take that approach (though there have to be, right?).
> 
> Happy Yuletide, blueorangecrush! I adore this movie and was so happy to see it nominated -- thank you for giving me the chance to think and write about.


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